Page 413 of Axis of Fire

"We've been waiting for you for ten minutes."

"Oh, how tragic."

Stasia clasped her hands dramatically.

"However will you survive?"

Pria rolled her eyes, turned away, and muttered something to Loretta instead.

Two figures suddenly appeared in the middle of the room, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

A man.

And a woman.

They looked so remarkably alike—in both build and facial features—that they could have passed for fraternal twins.

Both were tall and slender, their black uniforms only emphasizing their elegant posture.

The woman's raven hair was twisted into a neat bun.

The man's, equally dark, was tied back in a low ponytail.

Their pale skin contrasted sharply with their eyes.

Long.

Narrow.

So impossibly black they seemed darker than the shadows themselves.

"Welcome, first-years."

The woman's voice was crisp.

Precise.

Carrying the unmistakable authority of someone used to being obeyed.

"We'll be your dance instructors for the next three years," the man continued, his voice noticeably gentler.

"My name is Suar."

"And this is Sabina."

"Well, congratulations," Aars whispered beside me.

"You've finally met a pair of werebeasts."

I barely managed not to flinch.

Instead of listening to the rest of Suar's introduction, I shot Aars a quick glance.

Thankfully, he'd become surprisingly good at understanding me without words.

"They're serpent shifters," he explained.

My heartbeat lurched.